A dog licking its paws and rubbing its eyes may be experiencing itching or irritation affecting both the feet and the areas around the eyes.
This combination can occur with allergies, skin inflammation, parasites, or environmental irritation, but eye rubbing can also indicate a problem specifically affecting the eye or eyelids.
The two behaviors may have the same underlying cause, or they may represent separate problems occurring at the same time.
The appearance of the paws and eyes, whether one or both eyes are affected, and the presence of redness, discharge, squinting, or pain can help determine how concerning the problem is.
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Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Eyes: Why It Happens
A dog may lick its paws and rub its eyes because allergies or environmental irritation can cause itching in both the feet and around the eyes.
Pollen, dust, grass, and other allergens can irritate the skin and eyes, causing paw licking, face rubbing, watery eyes, redness, or discharge. Skin or eye infections and foreign material can produce similar signs.
If a dog is repeatedly rubbing its eyes, avoid allowing it to continue because excessive rubbing can injure the eye.
Squinting, keeping an eye closed, significant redness or swelling, thick discharge, cloudiness, or obvious eye pain requires immediate veterinary examination, while persistent paw licking should also be evaluated for allergies, infection, parasites, or another source of irritation.
Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Eyes: Common Causes
Allergies
Allergies are one of the most important causes to consider when a dog repeatedly licks its paws and rubs around its eyes.
Environmental allergies can cause itchy, inflamed skin, and dogs commonly respond by licking or chewing their feet.
Allergic inflammation can also affect the eyelids and conjunctiva. Dogs with allergic eye involvement may develop redness, itching, watering, or discomfort around the eyes.
A dog with allergies may also scratch its ears, rub its face, or develop recurrent ear and skin problems.
Related: Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Face (Here’s why)
Environmental Irritation
Dust, plant material, pollen, household products, or other environmental substances can irritate the paws or eyes.
For example, a dog may encounter an irritant outdoors and subsequently lick its feet while also rubbing its face.
The timing of the symptoms and whether they occur after particular activities or environmental exposures can provide useful information.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, the tissue lining the eyelids and covering part of the eye.
Dogs with conjunctivitis may have redness, swelling, discharge, excessive blinking, or squinting.
Allergic conjunctivitis is one possible cause, but infections, irritation, tear-film problems, and eyelid abnormalities can also produce conjunctivitis.
Conjunctivitis could therefore explain the eye rubbing while the paw licking has a separate cause, such as allergies or a paw infection.
Related: Dog excessively licking paws and limping (Causes and what to do)
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. It can cause red, swollen, itchy eyelids and may lead a dog to scratch or rub its face.
Allergies, infections, parasites, trauma, and eyelid abnormalities are among the possible causes.
If the skin around the eyes is crusty, swollen, irritated, or losing hair, the eyelids should be examined rather than assuming that the dog simply has itchy eyes.
Corneal Scratch or Ulcer
A scratch or ulcer on the cornea can be painful and may cause a dog to rub or paw at the affected eye.
Dogs may also squint, blink repeatedly, tear excessively, or hold the eye partly or completely closed.
A corneal problem is particularly important because repeated rubbing can further traumatize the eye.
Eye discomfort accompanied by pawing or rubbing should therefore be taken seriously.
Foreign Material in the Eye
Dust, dirt, plant material, fur, or another foreign object can irritate the eye and cause rubbing, watering, blinking, or squinting.
A foreign object may affect only one eye. If the dog suddenly begins rubbing one eye intensely, particularly after being outdoors or around vegetation, an eye examination may be needed.
Eyelid or Eyelash Abnormalities
Some dogs have eyelid or eyelash abnormalities that cause hair or eyelashes to contact the surface of the eye.
Entropion, for example, occurs when the eyelid rolls inward, allowing hairs to rub against the cornea.
Abnormal eyelashes can also irritate the cornea and cause excessive blinking, tearing, squinting, or eye rubbing.
These conditions may cause recurring eye irritation even when there is no obvious foreign object.
Dry Eye
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca, commonly called dry eye, occurs when inadequate tear production causes the surface of the eye to become dry and inflamed. It can cause eye discomfort and other signs of ocular irritation.
A dog with dry eye may have persistent eye discharge, redness, squinting, or rubbing.
If paw licking is occurring at the same time, the dog may have both an ocular condition and an unrelated skin problem, or an underlying inflammatory condition may be contributing to both.
Parasites and Skin Infections
Parasites can cause significant itching, leading dogs to lick their paws, scratch, and rub their faces.
Bacterial and yeast infections can also contribute to itching, particularly after the skin has been damaged by repeated licking or scratching.
If there is redness, odor, scaling, crusting, hair loss, or discharge around the paws or face, a skin disorder should be considered.
Paw Injury or Localized Paw Problem
Not every case of paw licking is caused by a generalized skin condition. A damaged nail, small wound, foreign material between the toes, or localized inflammation can cause a dog to concentrate on one foot.
If the dog is licking one paw much more than the others while rubbing its eyes, the two symptoms may have different causes.
Read more: Dog licking paws excessively (Should you worry?)
Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Eyes but No Redness
A dog may begin licking its paws and rubbing its eyes before obvious redness develops. Early irritation, allergies, or mild itching may not produce dramatic visible changes.
However, normal-looking eyes do not rule out a problem. Some corneal or eyelid conditions can initially be subtle, and persistent rubbing can itself cause additional irritation.
If eye rubbing continues, particularly if it is focused on one eye, a veterinary examination is preferable to assuming that the behavior is simply a habit.
Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Eyes but Acting Normal
A dog can continue eating, playing, and behaving normally while experiencing mild itching or eye discomfort. This is especially possible when the underlying problem is limited to the skin or eyes.
Acting normal is reassuring, but it does not establish the cause.
Dogs can continue normal activities despite dental, skin, and eye problems, so persistent paw licking or eye rubbing deserves attention even when the dog otherwise appears well.
Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Eyes With Discharge
Eye discharge makes an ocular cause more important to consider. Conjunctivitis and other eye conditions can produce cloudy, yellow, or greenish discharge, along with redness, swelling, excessive blinking, or squinting.
The appearance of the discharge does not determine the diagnosis by itself.
A veterinarian may need to examine the conjunctiva, eyelids, cornea, and tear production to identify the source.
Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing One Eye
When a dog repeatedly rubs one eye while licking its paws, a localized eye problem becomes particularly important to rule out.
Foreign material, a corneal injury, an abnormal eyelash, or another problem affecting that eye may cause one-sided rubbing.
Sudden or intense rubbing of one eye, especially with squinting, tearing, redness, or a cloudy appearance, warrants prompt veterinary assessment because some eye injuries can worsen quickly.
When to Call or Visit the Vet
Arrange a veterinary examination if paw licking and eye rubbing are persistent, recurrent, or worsening, particularly if your dog has:
Redness or swelling around the eye
Squinting or holding an eye closed
Excessive blinking or tearing
Yellow, green, cloudy, or bloody eye discharge
A cloudy, blue, or unusually dull-looking eye
Visible swelling of the eyelids
Hair loss, crusting, or sores around the eyes
Frequent or intense face rubbing
Red, swollen, painful, or irritated paws
Hair loss or sores on the feet
Lameness or reluctance to use a paw
Paw licking that is much worse on one foot
Persistent itching affecting the ears, face, or body
Symptoms that repeatedly return
A sudden change in the appearance or comfort of an eye
Immediate veterinary attention is especially important when a dog is suddenly holding an eye closed, has severe eye pain, develops a cloudy or bulging eye, experiences significant trauma, or has rapidly worsening eye symptoms.
Eye problems can sometimes threaten vision if treatment is delayed.
Dog Licking Paws and Rubbing Eyes: Treatment
Treatment depends on whether the symptoms come from one underlying condition or from separate paw and eye problems.
The veterinarian may examine the paws, skin, eyelids, conjunctiva, and corneas and may perform skin scrapings, cytology, parasite testing, or other skin tests when itching is suspected.
Eye evaluation may include assessment of the cornea, tear production, and other ocular structures, with fluorescein staining used when a corneal injury or ulcer needs to be checked.
Treatment is then directed at the diagnosis, such as managing allergies or infection for the paws or treating an identified eye condition.
Key Takeaway
Dog licking paws and rubbing eyes can occur with allergies and other itchy skin conditions, making a shared cause possible.
Allergies can affect the feet and contribute to inflammation around the eyes, but paw licking and eye rubbing do not automatically mean a dog has allergies.
Eye-specific problems such as conjunctivitis, eyelid disease, foreign material, corneal scratches, or dry eye can also cause rubbing and may occur independently of the paw problem.
If the eye is red, painful, cloudy, swollen, producing significant discharge, or being held closed, veterinary evaluation should not be delayed.